Zachary Gerring
Associate Professor | Senior Research Officer
zachary.gerring@qimrberghofer.edu.au
CAREER HISTORY
Zachary Gerring is a human geneticist and specialises in the statistical analysis of complex diseases. He has expertise in biomedical laboratory science, statistical genetics, and bioinformatics. His current research involves the integration of large scale molecular data to characterise disease processes and identify novel drug targets for neuropsychiatric diseases. Dr Gerring is a key analyst in the Major Depressive Disease working group and the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder/Tourette Syndrome working group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, and he also serves as a senior analyst for the International Cannabis Consortium. He plays a central role in maintaining a collaboration between the Translational Neurogenomics Laboratory and the Cell and Molecular Neurodegeneration Laboratory at QIMRB, the latter of which validates his discoveries using appropriate cell models and molecular biology techniques.
CURRENT APPOINTMENTS
2023 – Current: Senior Research Officer, Translational Neurogenomics, QIMR Berghofer
2022 – Current: Section Editor, Journal of Cannabis Research
PAST APPOINTMENTS
2017 – 2022: Research Officer, Translational Neurogenomics, QIMR Berghofer
ORCID NUMBER
RSEARCHER ID
CURRENT AREA OF RESEARCH
- Genetics
- Bioinformatics
- Genome-wide association studies
- Mental health disorders
- Substance use disorders
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
- Derks, EM, Thorp, JG & Gerring, ZF. (2022) Ten challenges for clinical translation in psychiatric genetics. Nature Genetics, 54, 1457–1465.
- Gerring, ZF… Derks, EM (2022) A Local Genetic Correlation Analysis Provides Biological Insights into the Shared Genetic Architecture of Psychiatric and Substance Use Phenotypes. Biological Psychiatry, 92 (7), 583-591.
- Gerring, ZF… Derks, E. M. (2021) E-MAGMA: an eQTL-informed method to identify risk genes using genome-wide association study summary statistics. Bioinformatics, 37(16), 2246–2249.
- Gerring ZF… Derks EM (2019) A gene co-expression network-based analysis of multiple brain tissues reveals novel genes and molecular pathways underlying major depression. PLOS Genetics, 15: e1008245.
- Gerring, ZF… Derks, EM (2021). Integrative Network-Based Analysis Reveals Gene Networks and Novel Drug Repositioning Candidates for Alzheimer Disease. Neurology Genetics, 7(5), e622.
- Pasman JA, Verweij KJH, Gerring ZF, et al. (2018) GWAS of lifetime cannabis use reveals new risk loci, genetic overlap with psychiatric traits, and a causal influence of schizophrenia. Nat Neuroscience, 21:1161–1170.
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
- 2016-present: Member of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics
AWARDS RECOGNITION
- 2022: Postdoctoral Researcher Prize, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute
- 2021: Early Career Investigator Award, International Society of Psychiatric Genetics
- 2021: Recognition for Researchers Award, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute
- 2020: Rafaelsen Young Investigator Award, International College of Neuropsychopharmacology
- 2015: Australian Postgraduate Award
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
- 2017: PhD, Department of Biomedical Science, Queensland University of Technology, PhD thesis “Integrating Genome-wide Association and Blood Genomic Profiling Data to Characterize Migraine Risk Loci.” Supervisor: Professor Dale R Nyholt; Co-supervisor: Professor Grant Montgomery
- 2014: Master of Public Health (Distinction), University of Otago, New Zealand
- 2014: Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Hons I), University of Otago, New Zealand